How The Bolsover School implemented Xello and immediately saw a 19% increase in engagement

Xello UK Team | July 7, 2020

Selecting new technology for your school or college is a big decision. But even once you have made the decision, the implementation side can also be a daunting experience. Here’s how one of our long-standing Kudos partners handled the process with enthusiasm and ease.

We recently caught up with The Bolsover School’s Careers Advisor, Debbie Crossley, who told us all about how they successfully implemented Xello at the beginning of the lockdown and, within the first two weeks, had over 1/4 of their students using the program.

Hi Debbie! What was it about Xello that immediately drew you to the product?

‘I wanted a platform that would withstand the test of time and that would engage every year group with age-appropriate lessons and content. I could see straight away that Xello would deliver that for me. It’s easy to use and the students love it!’

‘I can prove student progression and understanding from the data in the Educator Tool. Pulling reports is simple! What’s more, I have access to student profiles so I can understand their interests and skills individually.

My colleagues and I are continually developing support for our students on their career journeys. With Xello, administrative tasks are easier, freeing me up to deliver more personalised guidance to support our students’ individual needs.’

School

Bolsover

Location

Derbyshire

Problem

Student engagement

Solution

Following the introduction of Xello’s interactive content and lessons and school has experienced 19% increase in student engagement in career learning.

What advantages did you recommend to your senior leadership?

The Bolsover School is part of The Redhill Academy Trust, which supports 10 secondary schools and 2 primary schools. When I first saw Xello, my immediate thought was ‘here is a product that provides a wealth of information and enables our students to take ownership of their own career planning’.

I could see how student activity in the product could help me evidence the achievements of our school careers programme to SLT, but also allow me to easily support my colleagues at different schools with valuable insights.

Xello provides a lot of useful information that my colleagues and I would otherwise struggle to aggregate across multiple sources.’

Bolsover School’s Derbyshire

810

Students

Educators

And long term, what are your plans for the future of Xello at The Bolsover School?

‘We’re going to continue to carry on embedding Xello as a central part of our careers programme and beyond. I want students to recognise Xello as a support tool to help them confidently explore and develop for their future in the world of work. My ambition is for Xello to become an essential tool for all students throughout the school, from Year 7 to Year 11.

Also, I’m looking forward to training our tutors! They will really benefit from using Xello’s custom lessons and assignments to support their tutor group needs.

I can already see how Xello is raising the aspirations of our students. I wanted a platform with longevity and one that complements our school’s values and goals. Xello does just that and I’m excited to get more and more students actively utilising the product.’

About Debbie

Debbie Crossley is Bolsover School’s Careers Advisor. With a background in careers guidance, Debbie help inspire students and supports them in making decisions and progressing on from KS4.

About Xello

Xello is an engaging, online program that helps secondary school students define their future goals and transform their aspirations into actionable plans for success. The program puts students at the centre of their future planning journey. It helps them build self-knowledge, explore their options, create a plan, and develop the skills needed to thrive in the world of work. With over 50 years of experience in EdTech, our team has helped educators across the UK implement Xello to prepare students for future success.